Impatiens plant

ABSTRACT

An impatiens plant known by the cultivar name Gemini, and characterized by its clear bright pink flower color and contrasting dark green variegated foliage; highly floriferous habit; firm petal texture; relatively large flowers, with distinct deep pink to red throat; continuous flowering and highly stable flower color, with little fading in summer, and by its semi-procumbent and weather resistant habits which make it ideal for baskets and bedding plants.

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar ofImpatiens plant botanically known as Impatiens, and known by thecultivar name Twinkles. The new cultivar was developed by me throughcontrolled breeding in Ashtabula, Ohio. The seed parent was Trapeze, acultivar developed by Longwood Gardens, and the pollen parent was77-755-3 (Mikkelsens). Asexual reproduction of terminal or stem cuttingshas shown that the unique features of this new impatiens are stabilizedand are reproduced true to type in successive propagations.

The following characteristics distinguish Twinkles from both its parentvarieties and other cultivated impatiens of this type known and used inthe floriculture industry:

1. Self-branching, procumbent growth which appears somewhat fragile buthas withstood heavy winds and rain. Ideal growth for hanging baskets butnot upright enough for pot culture. Very useful for bedding plants.

2. Very floriferous because of high bud count in leaf whorl, and manygrowing points due to excellent self-branching. The new cultivar flowersvery quickly from cuttings and continues to flower outside untildestroyed by a killing frost.

3. The flower color is a sharp clear pink in cool regimes of spring andfall, but salmon pink in middle of summer. Color as illustrated is moredistinct than Trapeze or the cultivar Telstar, disclosed in U.S. PlantPat. No. 4,733.

4. Flower color is similar to Columbia under low light regimes, butTwinkles changes to salmon pink whereas Columbia fades slightly to alighter tone of its defined color. Flowers of Twinkles are smaller thanColumbia. Columbia is disclosed in a pending application of applicant.

5. Twinkles is a faster growing, freer breaking, fuller and larger plantwith less vigorous stems than Columbia.

6. The foliage of Twinkles has greater variegation and is narrower andlonger than the foliage of Columbia. The foliage of Twinkles appearslighter in summer, because variegation increases, but the basic greencolor in the foliage is similar to Columbia.

7. Self-branching of Twinkles is similar to branching in Telstar butrate of growth of Twinkles is faster than Telstar.

8. Twinkles and Cosmos are very similar in all aspects excepting flowercolor, which in Cosmos is an intense mauve. Cosmos is also disclosed ina pending application of applicant.

9. Unlike Sultana impatiens, Mikkelsen cultivars of New Guinea Impatienshybrids require high light and ample nutrition for maximum expression oftheir characteristics.

The accompanying colored photograph taken in late September outdoorsillustrates the overall appearance of Twinkles. The photo is a generallytop perspective view of the plant and shows the colors as true as it isreasonably possible to obtain in a colored reproduction of this type.

The following is a detailed description of my new impatiens cultivarbased on plants produced under commercial practices in Ashtabula, Ohio.The illustrated specimen was planted outside during the first week ofJune from a 4" pot. By the middle of September, the plant measured 60cm. diameter×30 cm. high. Flowering continued until killing frost inearly November. Color references are made to The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

Parentage: Trapeze (Longwood Gardens) crossed with Mikkelsen seedling77-755-3.

Propagation:

(A) Stem cuttings.--Cuttings 15 mm. long will develop to 4-5 cm. in21-28 days.

(B) Time to initiate root.--8-10 days at 23° C. summer.

Time to initiate root.--12-14 days at 20° C. winter.

(C) Rooting habit.--Very fibrous, dendritic, abundant.

Plant Description:

(A) Form.--A relatively low, self-branching, full, semi-procumbentflowering herb with ligh red to pink stems.

(B) Habit of growth.--Fast growing, medium internodes, semi-procumbent,or spreading, self-branching growth habit.

(C) Foliage.--Leaves simple, opposite on vegetative shoots butdeveloping into a whorl when flowering initiates; numbering 6-7. (1)Size: 7-8 cm. long by 2.5-3 cm. wide; under stress leaves become narrow,approaching 8-8.5 cm. long by 2-2.5 cm. wide. (2) Shape: lanceolate,apex acuminate, base acute, highly variegated; young leaves tend to beconcave. (3) Texture: top side rugose, underside glabrous. (4) Margin:nearly entire to finely serrated. (5) Color: young foliage, top sideyellow green 146-A; under side yellow green 147-B-C; mature foliage, topside green 137-A; under side green 137-B-C. Foliage highly variegated inmid-summer. (6) Venation: pinnate.

Flowering description:

(A) Flowering habits.--Flowers are initiated in whorls of 6-7 leaves,usually one flower per leaf. Flowers open in successive stages aroundthe whorl, with the last several blooms still flowering as the firstflower in the next whorl begins to open.

(B) Natural flowering season.--Flowering is indeterminate and continuousall year around, with the amount and time of flowering depending onquantity of light.

(C) Flower buds.--Ellipsoidal with deep pink to light red spur having ahollow throat and originating from the major sepal behind the ovary;flowers perfect.

(D) Flowers borne.--On individual deep pink pedicels originating fromthe whorl of leaves.

(E) Quantity of flowers.--Because of self-branching which develops manygrowing points, plants appear to be highly floriferous but there areusually only 6-7 flowers per whorl of leaves.

(F) Petals.--(1) Shape: Top petal separated and dominant, lower fourheart-shaped, overlapping, middle two smallest. (2) Color: top side inspring/fall when opening, red purple 62A-B, fading to 62B-C; underside62-D/63-D; top side when opening in summer full light, 38-A. (3) Numberof petals: five (5). (4) Size of flowers: to 5 cm. diameter spring/fall;approximately 4 cm. under stress in summer.

(G) Reproductive organs.--(1) Stamens: five (5) in number. a. Anthershape: hooded, color light pink to white. b. Pollen color: white. (2)Pistils: a. Stigma: five (5), segmented column shaped; colorless. b.Style: colorless. c. Ovaries: five (5) in number, celled, size 3.5-4mm., color green. Capsule explosively dehiscent.

Disease resistance: No evidence to date of susceptibility to majordisease or insect problems.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of impatiens known by thecultivar name Twinkles, as described and illustrated, and particularlycharacterized by its sharp clear pink flower color in cool regimes andgenerally salmon pink flower color in mid-summer; variegated foliage;excellent self-branching and procumbent growth habits; highfloriferousness, and quick flowering; fast growing and free breaking,providing full and large plant, and by its relatively small flowers.